


I’ll give you something to believe in

by faeyydom



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Chlodine - Freeform, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Not Actually Unrequited Love, but nadine loves her anyway, chloe has some issues™
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-12 20:54:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13555389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faeyydom/pseuds/faeyydom
Summary: “That she was just the slightest bit in love with the woman in question was irrelevant. Even if Chloe didn’t feel the same way, Nadine would happily live out her days as Chloe’s friend.Chloe is her home. And no matter how hard things get, this is the only place Nadine wants to be. Them against the world, with Chloe safely in her arms.”





	I’ll give you something to believe in

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to Luca who asked for more Chlodine content! They're the best. (I'm sorry that the official prompt you gave me has been buried under a ton of feelings)

-

Nadine’s eyes open slowly, adjusting to the darkness around her. In a second she surveys the room for any threats, fingers finding the gun under her pillow just in case. Nothing seems to be out of order. Then why did she wake up? The apartment is completely silent around her, save for the sounds coming from the fridge she can hear humming through her wall.

She turns her head towards her nightstand. The red numbers of her alarm clock tell her it’s a little after 3 AM.

She sits up, rubbing her eyes to clear away the sleep. Through her open window, the normal sounds of the city come in. A car passing, a dog barking, some people talking. Nothing out of the ordinary there either.

Now that she’s more awake, she feels a sense of unease wash over her. It’s probably just her mind playing tricks on her, years of being a mercenary will do that to you. But she can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong, so she gets up.

She leaves her gun under her pillow. If there is someone in the apartment who doesn’t belong there, she can use a million other objects to kill or seriously injure the intruder.

She swings her legs over the edge of the bed. The ground feels cold on her bare feet as she walks down the hall. A slight shiver runs down her spine and she regrets not putting on something warmer before leaving her room.

She is not used to the colder temperatures in London. But Chloe already had an apartment here, so it was more convenient to just move in with her. Since becoming partners, they figured out pretty quickly that it’s easier to work together if the other lived down the hall instead of on another continent.

When she rounds the corner into the kitchen her eyes fall onto a figure standing just next to the couch in the living room. Without a second thought, she raises her arms into a defensive position before her brain catches up with her. It’s only Chloe.

It’s not strange for her to be up late. For as long as Nadine has known her Chloe has had trouble sleeping. This is not the first time Nadine finds her alone in the living room in the early hours of the morning.

On a second glance Nadine notices that something’s off. Chloe is standing ramrod straight, tension emanating from her body. Arms crossed tightly over her chest and a faraway stare that seems to be fixed onto a point in the distance, not really looking at anything in particular.

Something is not right.

“Chloe?”

No response.

“Chloe?” a little louder now.

Chloe jumps and her eyes zero in on Nadine. Some of the tension leaves her body with a soft sigh as their eyes meet.

“What’s wrong?” Nadine asks, taking a step towards the other woman.

“Can’t sleep.” Chloe’s voice is low, almost a mumble.

“So you decided that standing alone in the dark is the best way to solve that?”

“Didn’t want to wake you.”

Nadine lowers her head and laughs softly, “You’re an idiot.” She holds out her hand towards Chloe. “You’re coming with me. I can’t have you be all grumpy in the morning.”

Chloe looks at her outstretched hand without grabbing it, simply staying in place.

Nadine tilts her head to the side, looking intently at her. After a few moments of silence, she lowers her hand. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

Chloe averts her eyes, looking at the floor.

“Chloe?” Nadine tries again. She takes another step forward, now close enough to see the state of Chloe’s face. Puffy eyes and dried tear tracks running down her face. Her heart skips a beat.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Don’t want to talk about it.” Chloe’s voice is hoarse.

“You don’t have to,” Nadine assures her. “Just come to bed okay?”

“Okay.”

With her head hanging low, Chloe follows Nadine to her room. It’s dark and there is a gentle breeze coming through the open window. Nadine gets back into bed, patting the space next to her for Chloe to follow.

Nadine holds up the covers until Chloe is lying next to her, draping them over her form as she settles in. Nadine turns on her side, propping her head upon her hand.

“What can I do to make you feel better?”

Chloe sighs, and the absence of one of her usual quips worries Nadine. Chloe is too quiet. And even though Nadine sometimes wishes that the woman would shut up for once, the absolute silence makes her frown.

Instead of waiting for an answer that would probably never come, she lies down on her back and gathers Chloe in her arms. With her head on Nadine’s chest and legs intertwined, Chloe is closer to Nadine than she has ever been before.

Nadine brings her hands up to Chloe’s hair and carefully pulls her hair tie down, letting it drop to the floor next to the bed. Chloe’s hair, now freed from its ponytail, drapes around her shoulders. Nadine lets her fingers run through the loose strands, twirling them around her fingers, combing through it with slow movements and softly massaging her scalp.

Chloe melts into her touch, sinking deeper into Nadine’s embrace.

As they lie there for several minutes, Chloe seems to calm down. The tension leaves her body completely and her breathing slows. Nadine knows she is still awake, but decides not to comment on that.

If Chloe wants to talk, she will be here for her. If not, she will just continue running her hands through her hair and wait until she falls asleep.

It takes several minutes before Chloe opens her mouth.

“Thank you. For, you know.. this.” Her voice is soft, barely above a whisper.

“Of course,” Nadine replies, matching Chloe’s volume. “Whatever you need.”

“You’re too good for me.” Chloe’s voice breaks and she tries to cover it up with a cough.

Nadine notices, but she doesn’t say anything. She slips her hands from their previous resting place on Chloe’s head to her body and tightens her hold. Nadine has never been great with words, and she hopes that Chloe understands what she’s trying to say.

A comfortable silence envelops them until Chloe speaks again.

“Sometimes everything just gets too much.” She pauses for a second before taking a deep breath in and continues talking. “When it’s dark and quiet it all gets to me and I don’t know how to make it stop.”

Nadine waits patiently for Chloe to elaborate. But when the woman on her chest stays silent she opens her mouth to reply.

“It’s normal to feel overwhelmed sometimes.” Nadine presses a soft kiss to the top of Chloe’s head. “Do you want to tell me what has been keeping you up? Telling someone else might help.”

“Can we just go to sleep? I’m exhausted.” Chloe yawns. “I promise I will feel better in the morning.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind to listen.”

“I’m sure. Besides, you make an excellent pillow.” Chloe turns her head to look right at Nadine and gives her a tentative smile.

Nadine sighs and rolls her eyes but can’t suppress a small smirk. At least Chloe can make jokes again.

“Sure I do. All good pillows are firm, and as you might remember, I’m all muscle.” Nadine flirts back effortlessly, maybe even throwing in a wink for good measure.

Chloe laughs, with closed eyes and her head thrown back. And it’s the best sound Nadine has ever heard. It allows her to breathe again, knowing that Chloe is already feeling a little better.

Sleep sounds pretty amazing right now, even more so now that she has Chloe in her arms. She brings her hands back to Chloe’s hair, and as she entertains her fingers with the silky soft hair again, Nadine beings to hum. Nonsensical tunes that go nowhere, just sounds strung together.

As Chloe’s body grows heavier in her arms and her breaths even out, Nadine lets her mind wander.

Times had been a little rough for them the past few months. They had set out on two treasure hunts, both turning up empty. And while Chloe acted like she didn’t mind, Nadine knew that it got to her.

It wasn’t nice to fail, and the fact that Sam rubbed it in their faces every time he saw them didn’t help. Chloe shrugged it off with a joke and a shove to his shoulder, but her jaw would tighten and her smile wouldn’t reach her eyes.

It was only a matter of time before it caught up with her. You can only ignore your feeling to a certain degree before you crack. But for as long as Chloe would allow her, Nadine would be right next to her to support her until Chloe felt like she could face the world again. No matter what.

That she was just the slightest bit in love with the woman in question was irrelevant. Even if Chloe didn’t feel the same way, Nadine would happily live out her days as Chloe’s friend.

Chloe is her home. And no matter how hard things get, this is the only place Nadine wants to be. Them against the world, with Chloe safely in her arms.

-

The next time Nadine wakes up, light streams in from her window. She is warm and comfortable, feeling more rested than she had felt in a very long time. Somewhere in the night, Chloe had rolled off of her and was now lying on her side, her back pressed against Nadine’s front and Nadine’s arm circled around her waist.

Nadine’s face is buried in Chloe’s hair, and with every inhale she can smell her shampoo. This is definitely a very nice way to wake up. The woman in her arms is still fast asleep, snoring lightly. Nadine smiles

Then the memory of last night hits her and she feels her throat close up. She has no idea if her presence has helped Chloe at all, or just made it worse.

The rumbling of her stomach pulls her out of her thoughts. Carefully she lifts her arm off Chloe’s waist and shuffles out of bed. Chloe makes a soft whining sound and curls deeper in on herself, but she doesn’t wake up.

Nadine quickly gets dressed in some sweatpants and a clean t-shirt and leaves the room, closing the door quietly behind her. She gets to work preparing breakfast, making sure to make a full pot of coffee, knowing Chloe will definitely need it after the short night she’s had.

While she stands in front of the stove flipping pancakes, she hears movement behind her. She turns around and sees Chloe sitting on one of the stools at their breakfast bar. It takes a moment before Nadine fully understands what she sees.

Chloe has a soft smile gracing her lips and her eyes have bags under them. But that’s not what caught Nadine’s eye. It’s Chloe’s hair.

Even though they have been living together for over three months now, Nadine has never seen Chloe with her hair down. And while the black tresses are a complete mess, both from sleep and because Nadine had ran her hands through it for over an hour, Chloe looks _gorgeous._

Nadine’s brain short circuits. She just stands there, spatula in hand, staring at Chloe with her mouth hanging open.

“What?” Chloe asks, head tilting to the side. “Is there something wrong? Did I forget to put on pants again?” She looks down and lets out a relieved sigh when she spots her in sweatpants-clad legs. Her eyes move up to look at Nadine again, a puzzled look on her face.

“Nadine?” She waves her arm, trying to get her attention. “I’m pretty sure I can smell something burning.”

That snaps Nadine out of her daze. She turns around quickly, hiding her face from view so Chloe can’t see her bright red cheeks. She grumbles loudly as she takes the pan of the stove and lets the blackened pancake fall into the sink.

“Shit, sorry.” She turns around and turns towards a plate to her right, “those are for you.” She keeps her eyes down and moves to put the full plate and a cup of coffee in front of Chloe.

“What came over you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you distracted.” Chloe says, smile evident in her voice. “Do I really look _that_ bad?”

“No, no. It’s not that. It’s definitely not that.” Nadine stumbles. “It’s the opposite actually.” The last part is said so softly it’s almost inaudible.

Chloe stops breathing and Nadine’s eyes snap up.

“I uh…” Nadine twists her fingers together, fumbling with them nervously.

“You think I look beautiful?” Chloe’s eyes widen as she gestures to her herself. “You must have gotten less sleep than me last night.” She chuckles.

Nadine doesn’t reply. She simply slides the maple syrup towards Chloe and grabs her own cup of coffee, leaning against the counter. The silence hangs between them like thick fog as Chloe eats her pancakes and Nadine sips her scalding hot coffee.

Nadine wants to say something. Assure Chloe that she looks beautiful. That she always looks beautiful even if she was awake for half the night. That Nadine wants to kiss her and hold her hand and shove her against this very counter. But she has no idea how to, so she keeps her lips tightly pressed together.

“Thank you.” Chloe eventually breaks the silence.

Nadine looks at her, and this time it’s Chloe who won’t meet her eyes.

“Had a bit of a rough night last night and I’m glad you were there for me.”

“Of course, always.” Nadine takes another sip of her coffee.

“I meant what I said last night, that you’re too good for me.”

Nadine looks up from her mug, a frown on her face. “What do you mean?”

Chloe brings her hands to her temples, “I woke you up in the middle of the night, and you still went out of your way to make me comfortable. And now you’ve made me breakfast for God’s sake.”

Nadine bites back the desire to reach out and pull Chloe into a hug. Chloe wasn’t one to voice her self-doubt, she was always confident, sometimes overly so. So instead of doing something that might make Chloe even more uncomfortable, she refills her empty mug and moves to sit down next to her.

“Of course I would do that. That’s what friends are for.”

“Right. Friends.”

“You’re saying we’re not friends?” Nadine is confused. Chloe is avoiding her gaze, making sure Nadine can’t read her expression.

“Don’t you get it?” Chloe sighs and lets her shoulders sag. “Seriously, Nadine. You’re the smartest person I know but you can be incredibly dense sometimes.”

Nadine’s brows knit together. Is Chloe saying what she thinks she’s saying? It couldn’t be, nothing is ever _that_ easy. Right? She realizes she’s been quiet for too long, and that Chloe is now looking directly at her.

“I don’t want to be _just_ your friend, Nadine.” It’s said so quietly it takes a while before Nadine’s mind has fully processed what she’s just heard.

And then it clicks.

She desperately wants to tell Chloe the feeling is mutual. But her brain has decided to stop working right this very moment. She parts her lips to speak, but nothing comes out. She’s staring at Chloe with her eyes wide open.

“Please say something? I understand if you don’t feel the same way. Shit, have I made things awkward now? I really hope not because you mean a lot to me and I really _really_ like you and-“

Nadine surges forwards and presses her lips against Chloe’s, effectively cutting off Chloe’s rambling. Cupping Chloe’s cheek in one hand, and keeping her balance by placing the other one on the cold marble next to her.

Chloe tastes like pancakes and syrup and coffee and _Chloe._

It takes a moment for Chloe to respond to the kiss, but when she does, she is kissing Nadine with back fervor. She places both her hands on Nadine’s thighs, leaning in as far as the distance between them allows.

Nadine thinks that this is what heaven feels like. Like soft lips and breathy sighs. The feeling of Chloe’s tongue running over her bottom lip, asking for entrance that Nadine gives willingly.

When they have to break apart for some much needed oxygen, Nadine rests her forehead against Chloe’s. She is pretty sure she has a wide grin on her face and probably looks like an idiot right now. But she doesn’t care, because Chloe is smiling at her and Chloe just _kissed_ her.

“Wow,” she finally manages to get out.

“Eloquently put, love.”

“Oh shut up,” Nadine kisses her again. marveling in the idea that she is allowed to kiss this beautiful woman whenever she wants now.

This time the kiss is short because Nadine can’t stop smiling. And neither can Chloe.

“If I had known that all it would take was me looking like a zombie with bed head, I would have tried this ages ago.” Chloe jokes.

“Less talking, more kissing.” Nadine mumbles before she moves in again, more than eager to capture Chloe’s lips with her own again.

And yeah, Nadine is pretty sure that this _is_ heaven. And that maybe, sometimes things really are this easy.

They still need to talk. But for now, Nadine is content with kissing the woman she is head over heels in love with.

 

**Author's Note:**

> this is un-beta'd, so all mistakes are mine. thank you for reading


End file.
